Helping young people to develop the skills employers are looking for
Staring up at the fourteenth floor of the Opéra Nouvel opera house, 18-year-old Caitlin Brennan never expected her Erasmus+ experience would lead her to securing her ideal job.
Working alongside world-class performers was just one of the opportunities available to Caitlin (pictured below) who back home was a student of spa, beauty and make-up at Bath College.
Alongside a group of fellow Level 3 students, as part of her Erasmus+ mobility experience, Caitlin was able to work at the Opéra Nouvel; home to the Opéra National de Lyon and the Lyon Opera Ballet. As part of her work experience she was involved in activities from hair and make-up at a full dress rehearsal to taking part in meetings for a new production.
Since the placement in France Caitlin has secured a full-time job back in the UK, and said the experience had made her realise she had the skills and confidence to get her new job as a qualified nail technician in Bristol.
My experience made me realise I'm very independent and have a lot more confidence than a lot of other people my age which helped me to get my new job. - Caitlin, participant
Bath College’s aim is to make their students highly employable and enterprising by developing the skills employers want. This was college’s first Erasmus+ Key Action 1VET mobility project. ‘VET Experience for Bath Students’ provides structured work experience opportunities to learners across a range of vocational sectors including beauty, computing, sport and travel and tourism.
The mobility encourages learners to step out of their comfort zone, working in a different culture and equips them with the professional confidence to interact positively in a new environment. Over 100 learners will benefit from a work experience placement over the course of the project.
For each vocational area involved in the project, college tutors have a specific unit identified from their course which will be achieved during their mobility. Learning outcomes relate to both the specific qualification participants are working towards in the UK, as well as the daily activities provided by the host organisations within each of the available roles.
Caitlin’s group were hosted by the Lycée Professionel du Premier Film, a French School in the heart of Lyon. Bath College lecturer Diane Rowe, who was part of the trip, said: “It was an extremely successful visit for the college and the Lycée. Caitlin has a real get up and go attitude. She worked her socks off and the language barrier wasn’t a problem, she got through it. Our students have come back with a lot of confidence in themselves.”
Caitlin said: “Having that work experience behind me is amazing, to say I worked in an opera house in Lyon. The opera building was huge. Underground, there was a full stage – it was absolutely massive. I had been desperate to find a new job and was so relieved when I got my current role. My experience made me realise that I'm very independent and have a lot more confidence than a lot of other people my age which helped me to get my new job.
Find out more about how Erasmus+ funding enhances young people's employability skills on our themed webpage.
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